This is about my life in a fostering family of several young people in Wales today.
There are also all the other people in this house, my own growing up too quickly children who seem to be here less every week, and of course the student, the mistress of all we owe money on. There are three green goddesses (big green 1950's fire pumps): Gloria, Isabelle and the belle.
That's not mentioning other vehicles and items of plant, all sorts in fact.

Saturday, 26 January 2008

Been a bit rushed off my little feet these last few weeks so lets play a pleasant little game of catch up.

It all started really during Xmas.

Now, I would point out that usually I am Mr Health and Safety when it comes to tools and things.Many years in the St John Ambulance taught me that human beings and tools are things that can be a devastating mix, recipe for disaster, pain and of course, copious claret....

So just before the new year when I was making some bits of wood a bit smaller my normal approach would be to get all the gear out before I did so, but is was only a few bits and my gloves were in the van and I would just get the lethal little firefighters hand axe and split a few bits and

Whack Whack whack

"&*&&*())) &&&*(&&&^"

I said.

Claret everywhere and I had damn near removed the top of my thumb.

Naturally my two daughters were all sympathy. Phrases such as:

"Phoarthat's a mess" and

"Bet (tee heeee) that hurts dad (teeeheeee)" were much in evidence.

Eventually, figuring that it would probably hurt me - a lot.

Branwen, aka Sir Bruce, volunteered to help me rebuild the top of my thumb.

I recruited her in order to save our beleagueredNHS another job which i was quite capable of doing myself.

I also knew that any doctor worth his salt would wish to explore the wound and that was another phrase for PAIN. I didn't think to share this with the girl in question because of course she would immediately have spotted the possibility and insisted that:

a I should go to casualty

b She should attend to view the unexpected entertainment.

To finally tip that balance my eldest reminded me that I really should get a Tetanus booster.

Now I am a 6 foot one biker type, but me and needles really do not get on. I still remember the last time, Bethan spent days telling her mates, my mates and indeed any one who would listen how daddy had to lie down...

So anyway between us and a pack of steri strips we did a reasonable job of rebuilding my thumb though it was pretty obvious the nail was going to come off at some stage.

Then of course, the phone tintinabulated and it was the object of my love and passion, their beloved mother.

At least here was someone who showed concern, well, when she had finished laughing.

Should she rush home? No said Bethan it was only daddy, Brannie was sorting it and by the time mummy got home there would be nothing to see.

Such is the life of love and affection i lead here Chez Moi.....

So anyway the days passed and eventually, very eventually it stopped raining.

In fact it was quite exquisite in that clear mid winter day sort of way that is a true delight of living in the country.

Taking this as our excuse out we went to do lunch at a local hostelry where we very often go when we cannot think of a suitable excuse to stay home, like being broke or needing firewood.

A nice lunch ensued and the day progressed well.

Time for home and we thought it might be fun to drive along the bottom of the valley rather than home over the mountain.

This is where it all started to unravel.

Clearly, the valley had experienced rather a lot of excess water and , as we rounded a bend there were floods.

So anyway it wasn't deep but of course she doesn't do water and with me at the wheel our rover entered a not particularly deep stream.

This of course was "her" car , a rather ancient but sprightly and thrifty Rover 220 powered by diesel.

Now, when they designed the Rover they got all through the design process then someone remembered they had not included any means of getting air inside the engine.

This is endemic in modern cars, styling, stereo, sunroof, these are all things deemed more important than making a car move these days.

So of course some genius came up with the idea of sticking the air inlet under the front bumper.

Of course as I drove into the floods it took in a great gobful of water........

Now water and engines are not a good mix.

When water goes into an engine it can do lots of cataclysmic type things.

Make that engine a diesel that's running and things often get really interesting with big bits of engine deciding to get out and walk and through the side of the engine at that too.....

By a mixture of luck and errrrrrh luck we avoided total catastrophe and a push out of the water, where having decided to wear biker boots seemed to have been far wiser than her decision to wear trainers later, off I went to get the cavalry.

Well OK not quite the cavalry, my IVECO and a hefty rope.

Dragged the car home, and dry everything out.

This being a modern car it is blessed with electronics and these of course took this as their excuse to have a very thorough sulk.

4 days it took to dry out enough to agree to that it was not in fact being stolen, interfered with or otherwise molested.

Sunday, 6 January 2008

This has been a very difficult one for both of us, this flu thing really knocks the stuffing out of you.

But we have survived and the kids go back to school very soon.

There have been few dramas to write home about and really much of that is because we have done nothing for there to be dramas.

Even my beloved step daughter, who I would emphasise I love dearly, (loving her cheap never having been an option ) has declined to produce drama.

Well, nearly, I will admit that news years eve dawned bright and early, this being an evening when many people go off on pleasure bent, not that i am about to make any suggestions in that respect.

Management had cunningly contrived to be absent when, who should arrive but the Serene one.

Now to be fair, with the new boyfriend on the scene, once she had collected her grans Xmas money and gone, we had enjoyed relative peace recently.

However, you see young serenity had a problem.

The tax disk on the Citroen MPV expired on the very morrow and Serenity desperately needed to re tax the car. This is exactly the sort of reason she has the interest free loan account at the united bank of step dad. Serenity needed to make a withdrawal to cover taxing her car.

Now, woe was Serenity, like Northern Rock, the united bank of step dad was facing a bit of a cash flow crisis. The pay check was running out but the holiday was showing no sign of doing so.

Woe was her, how could she possibly be expected to drive to work in a vehicles with no tax, she absolutely had to have a CASH advance and that before the new years eve.

Fortunately of course we live in modern times. I offered to help Serenity out anyway, I could simply log on to the DVLA website and add her tax to my massively burdened VISA card. The tax disk itself would arrive a few days hence.

I am not sure why but this was not an acceptable method, she needed the cash so she could go and get the tax disk there and then.

Maybe, I offered, I should check and see how much the tax would be, all I needed was her registration number and I could check that on the DVLA computer that very moment.

The effect on serenity was quite extraordinary, one thing she was not at all keen to do was look on the DVLA computer. I cannot think why.

Still, it has been peaceful, we have not seen her since.

Normally, I lend her money then I don't see her for weeks, maybe things have changed, now, I don't lend her money and don't see her for.....

About Me

This drivel is all copyright to me, an Ageing biker hippy living in west wales
I would of course be delighted if someone wanted to publish what they read one here but you have to ask first. Otherwise I might get angry and you would not like me when I am angry.